


Stars in the Darkness

by GotAnIssueHeresATissue



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Confessions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-15 00:41:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18487750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GotAnIssueHeresATissue/pseuds/GotAnIssueHeresATissue
Summary: Amidst happy feelings and celebrations after winning the war against Gaea, Nico can’t help but think about things. As we all know, thinking can be a dangerous pastime, especially when his thoughts keep getting invaded by one Will Solace.





	Stars in the Darkness

 

  It was well after dinner in Camp Half-Blood and the campers were engaged in a big bonfire party, still in a celebratory mood after defeating the Earth Mother, but Nico lay in the grass just beside the strawberry fields away from the festivities. His arms loosely hugged his body for comfort, and also in a weak attempt of protection against the sweet breeze that whispered through Camp Half-Blood. The night sky was practically cloudless, the stars dotting and scattering constellations across the indigo expanse. 

  After the war against Gaea, after everything that had happened, Greek and Roman demigods were now at peace with each other, and the heroes could finally catch a break where no one was actively out to kill them in the near future. Nico had felt crushing weight lift from his shoulders- his feelings for Percy, (some of) his anger, loneliness, and sadness for a start, but he still had a long way to go. The Son of Hades had spent so much time alone, intimidating and pushing people away, that he wondered how long it would take for the other demigods to see him as just another camper. He didn’t expect them to think of him as a friend because he was pretty sure everyone was still wary and scared of him, and he didn’t blame them, but surely people would stop backing away and deliberately going around the cabins to avoid walking past him… right? Deep down, a feeling of hurt tugged at his gut. He tried to ignore it. Nico di Angelo was used to being alone and being avoided anyway. Just because he had spent the last few months with more people than he was used to didn’t mean that he couldn’t go back to the way he had been on his own before travelling with friends aboard the Argo II. 

  The Italian angrily scrubbed his jacket sleeve across his eyes the moment he felt the suspicious stinging of tears and sat up, sniffling once as thoughts of leaving the camp started trickling into his mind again. 

  

  “Di Angelo?” 

  

  His head whipped to the right, and dark eyes met the baby blues of the approaching Will Solace. “What are you doing out here?”

  

  “Solace. The party ended, then.” Nico hugged his knees to his chest and looked out at the strawberry fields.

  

  Will plopped himself down beside Nico. “That didn’t answer my question, Deathboy.”

  

  The brunette’s body tensed at the annoying nickname, but mostly from the healer’s proximity. He felt his face flush against his will, and ducked his head so his long hair shielded him from Will’s searching stare. A week had passed after Nico’s three-day stay at the infirmary before he had finally built up the courage to go and see Will on his own accord. Well, he didn’t even do that exactly… it was more like lurking around and peeking through the infirmary windows until Will came out and had to drag him into the room so that the other patients wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable. 

  

  ”Is everything alright, Nico?” Will’s studious gaze hadn’t left the dark boy.

  

  Nico had to suppress the shudder that threatened to rattle his spine at the way his name rolled off Will’s tongue so smoothly. It was ridiculous how intense his feelings towards the blonde were starting to get. He had just finally confessed the feelings he had repressed for Percy for years not too long ago, gotten over it, and now here he was, sitting by the strawberry fields on a starry, windy night with the Son of Apollo who he was falling for dangerously hard and fast. 

  

  The blush had mostly subsided, but continued to tint his cheeks a soft pink. He released his knees and stretched his legs, both knees cracking when they straightened. He leaned back on his hands and sighed, looking up at the huge smattering of stars winking back. Maybe the universe was telling him to go for it. The boy was sitting right beside him after all. The thought almost made him laugh, and he banished it immediately.

  

  Will Solace was a few months older than Nico (well technically, Nico was, like, more than seventy years older than Will, but you get the point), took none of Nico’s nonsense, but showered him with so much gentleness and understanding just when he needed it. He was such a good friend it literally hurt. He sometimes felt that Will might like him, he just wasn’t sure if it was the same kind of feelings as his own. His mind was so confused, and his heart throbbed but was so full at the same time. Being near Will gave him these emotions, ones that made him want to jump over the moon, but also to crawl into bed and never leave it again. 

  

  The blonde put a hand on Nico’s, and the brunette wondered if Will was actually the Son of Zeus instead of Apollo by the electricity he felt run up his arm and throughout his body, down to his toes. He left his hand under Will’s, resisting the overwhelming urge to yank it away as the blood that had just left his face rushed back with torrential force. He hoped that Will hadn’t noticed how his breathing had picked up, or hear his hummingbird heartbeat. Nico stared at the burning contact between their hands, wondering if it was only him that was riding this rampant roller coaster of emotions, or if Will felt it too? He wanted to ask so badly, but what if he was wrong? He didn’t want to ruin their barely budding friendship, but honestly, Nico’s feelings had already gone beyond friendship. 

  

  “As long as you feel comfortable with it, you can talk to me about anything. You know that right?” Will said in a voice and with a smile so warm and kind that the Son of Hades’ heart swelled the most it ever had. 

  

  He couldn’t help it. Will was the stability his shaky emotions craved, the light that his darkness reached for. He felt ashamed at the passing thought that he was getting so attached to Will because he was attention starved, and the blonde was a buffet table of attention, but he knew it went deeper than that as well. He wanted Will. He _needed_ Will. 

  

  “What do you think of me?” Nico mumbled, his dark eyes still fixed on their connected hands. 

  

  “What?”

  

  He raised his dark eyes to lock onto cornflower blue, but the brave stare contradicted the shaky voice that came out. “How-…What do you think of me…?”

  

  “Well,” Will hummed, “I think you’re stubborn but soft, scared but brave, angry but sad.” 

  

  Nico thought that was all he would get when the healer pushed himself to his feet and brushed off the seat of his surfer shorts. However, he leaned his hands on his knees to look down at the brunette and continued. 

  

  “I think you’re misunderstood, but you won’t explain yourself. Sometimes you make stupid decisions that endangers yourself, but you do what you think is right. When you’re tired, you’ll say you’re fine even when you’re not, to the point that you’d start fading into the darkness. You’ll push people away, even when they want to be near you.” Will reached a hand out, pulling Nico up to his feet when he took it, but didn’t let go after. In fact, he picked up the Italian’s other hand and squeezed them in his larger ones. “You’re hurting, and you have been for a long time. You’re strong, carrying burdens that some people couldn’t even begin to imagine. You’re cute, gods, you’re _beautiful_. On the inside and outside.”

  

  Nico’s eyes were blown so wide, he must have looked like a wild animal, but Will’s mini speech had been completely unexpected. His out-of-control heart skipped so many beats that it might have temporarily stopped, and he started to try to pull away the moment he felt his eyes moisten again. He would rather die than to have Will see him cry. 

  

  “Geez, Will, that was so…”

  

  The blonde’s grip tightened to prevent the other boy from running away again. “Amazing? Poetic? Touching?”

  

  ”…Cheesy.” 

  

  Will laughed. “My dad’s Apollo, after all. I was being honest, though. Everything I said is really what I think of you.”

  

  Nico looked away from the intensity of Will’s eyes. “I believe you. But that’s not exactly what I meant.”

  

  Will’s grinned widened. “What exactly did you mean?”

  

  Nico shot an irritated glance at the teasing blonde, huffing in frustration before pulling at his hands harder than before.

  

  ”Wait, okay wait, Nico,” Will softly guided Nico’s chin to make the Italian look at him. “I like you. A lot. Like, a _lot._ ”

  

  They held each other’s gazes, before Will broke the silence. “So, what do you think of me?” His tone was playful, but Nico could feel the tinge of nervousness in his voice. 

  

  He slipped his fingers into the curly, blonde hair, pulling Will’s head down to lightly press their lips together for their first kiss. Then they pulled apart, a little breathless and with stars in their eyes.

  

  “I like you a lot, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small one shot so I can write my first Will and Nico love lol. The second-last line I wrote about the stars in their eyes annoys me haha.. I haven’t read the Trials of Apollo (tragic D:), so anything I know about these two’s interactions and relationship is from the Heroes of Olympus series.
> 
> Please do review and let me know what you think if you can! :) I hope to improve my writing, so criticism would be very helpful <3


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